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DETROIT —Points to ponder as the Canucks and Red Wings look to build off wins that ended respective losing streaks — nine games for Vancouver and five for Detroit — when they clash Thursday in a date at The Joe (4:30 p.m., Sportsnet Vancouver, TSN 1040):

STECHER HAS ‘WON HIMSELF A BIT OF A SPOT’

Troy Stecher’s night was somewhat lost in the collective relief of the club avoiding a franchise-record 10-game losing streak on Tuesday in New York. With Loui Eriksson and Sven Baertschi scoring their first goals of the season — and Alex Burrows adding his first two — the play of Stecher went unnoticed.

And that’s good.

The rookie defenceman did all the right things in the 5-3 win. He logged 18:40 in a pairing with Alex Edler, had two shots on goal and delivered a pretty good shot. Most importantly, he wasn’t overwhelmed by facing the league’s top-scoring team or being in New York and Madison Square Garden for the first time.

“I texted my friend that that was No. 1 — ahead of North Dakota — for feeling the energy on the ice,” Stecher said Thursday morning. “I came in with the mentality to not try and save the world and just make sure I played simple and hard — especially as a young guy.

“When you’re scratched (Monday against the Islanders), it’s easy to press too hard to just and try and make an impression. And I don’t want to get complacent. I want to make a career of this and not just have a cup of coffee and call it quits. It’s a business, and I don’t want to take anything for granted.”

Stecher will play his sixth game of the season tonight and Philip Larsen will sit for the second straight game. That says something about the rookie. Stecher, 22, will face a formidable task in shutting down two of the league’s better speedsters in Dylan Larkin and Darren Helm.

“I have to use my feet and have a good, tight gap to eliminate time and space because that’s where they can gain their speed,” said Stecher. “(Mike) Hoffman in Ottawa is pretty fast and that was a good test, and I thought I handled him pretty well.”

Desjardins knows what he’s going to get from Stecher. There’s no mystery.

“It’s habits and he has them to fall back on when things are going the way he wants,” said the coach. “He never really puts himself in a bad spot. He’s pretty smart how he defends and good at moving pucks offensively and has won himself a bit of a spot there.”

Luc Robitaille couldn’t beat Dan Cloutier in game 2 of the 2002 Western Conference quarterfinal at the Joe. But the Wings had the last laugh.

When the Red Wings move into their posh new digs next fall — it’s currently $105 million over budget — those who played in the 2002 first-round playoff series against the President’s Trophy-winning Red Wings won’t soon forget two memorable nights.

And, of course, Cloutier will never forget Game 3, when the clubs were tied and that long Nicklas Lidstrom goal turned the game and the series around.

The Canucks stunned the Wings 4-3 in overtime — Henrik had the winner — and 5-2 at The Joe before losing the series in six games. Detroit would eventually win the Stanley Cup in five games over the Carolina Hurricanes. So, the Canucks’ scare pushed the Wings to greater heights, right?

Back at GM Place, for Game 3, Canucks fans thought they’d get to Wings goalie Dominik Hasek.

“We were underdogs and played an unbelievable team — as close to a Dream Team as you can get,” recalled Henrik. “Two big upsets here and going back home, we could have one of those games. That series was fun and every game here is fun.

“I’ve always loved playing in Detroit because they (Wings) play the game the way it should be played. “And it’s the history here and even just walking in the rink. The ice is good and I love the (lively) boards and they’ve always had good teams.

“You knew you had to be prepared here to not get destroyed. I’ve been in games where we’ve been up three or four goals and they just put that extra gear in and win.”

Bertuzzi. Tyler Bertuzzi.

ANOTHER BERTUZZI IS WINGING IT

Tyler Bertuzzi, the nephew of Todd Bertuzzi, was recalled this week when winger Thomas Vanek was placed on the long-term injury list with a hip injury.

In his regular-season NHL debut on Tuesday in Philadelphia, the rookie right-winger logged 9:57, had a shot, two hits and was a plus-1. He didn’t look out of place as the Wings defeated the Flyers 3-2 in a shootout for their first win in Philadelphia since 1997.

“It was very exciting,” said Bertuzzi, who played with Dylan Larkin and Frans Nielsen. “It was a great day for me and my family and I was really happy with my ice time. It was good to see how comfortable Blash (coach Jeff Blashill) was with me, to put me out in some of the situations, and my linemates were good.

“It was just the experience to get more confidence. I was a little nervous but it kicked in that I was just playing hockey. And I know how to play.”

His uncle knows that and has given his nephew plenty of guidance and encouragement.

“He’s been through it all obviously and whether it’s a call or a text, he’s been there the whole time and giving me little bits and pieces of what to expect,” said Tyler. “For the first game, he told me to just enjoy it. It only comes once.

“Make a footprint. Play hard and play your game, and you’ve got to play your way on to the lineup.”

Said Blashill: “He’s really smart and has great poise and doesn’t panic. He gets sticks on pucks and creates turnovers and has great hockey sense.”

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BAD NEWS FOR HANSEN

It’s bad news for Jannik Hansen, who returned to Vancouver earlier this week to discover that a rib fracture will keep him out of the lineup for what the club is calling four to six weeks.

Hansen suffered the injury when decked by Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly last Saturday in Toronto.

He continued to play, rushing to the defence of linemate Daniel Sedin when the Leafs’ Nazem Kadri blindsided him a while later.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER JAKE TAKE

Willie Desjardins wanted Jake Virtanen to get ice time and improve, but how much better can the winger get in Friday and Saturday games with the AHL affiliate Utica Comets?

“It gives him a chance to play where maybe up here (NHL), he makes a mistake and he’s not going to play,” said the Canucks coach. “As a young guy, you don’t need that. You need to go out and play and if you make a mistake, you don’t have to (worry about) not getting a chance to get back in right away.

“I think it will be good for him. When he returns, I don’t know exactly what that will mean for him exactly. Whatever happens in those two games will give him a chance to re-evaluate and see where he’s at. He has to go down with the idea and prove that he’s an elite player.”

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